PDCA, a goal-oriented approach

Secure the implementation of improvements in every business process.

PDCA, quality management in 4 steps

The PDCA cycle is a well-known tool for continuous improvement, quality management and problem solving. The cycle was developed by William Edwards Deming and is therefore also known as Deming’s Quality Circle(SixSigma.com)

ISO certifications and audits test this cycle extensively. This allows organizations to see if they are learning from their mistakes and continuously improving operations For management, high efficiency of the organization and resources is ultimately the goal. Yet a lot of organizations struggle to implement PDCA successfully. In this blog, we elaborate on this and provide tips for successful PDCA implementation.

The ‘Plan Delay Cancel Apologize’ syndrome

Proper implementation of the PDCA cycle stands and falls with proper planning in an organization. If one is aware of the need for continuous improvement, one should also make time for this. A well-known pitfall is that many plans and actions are initiated within an organization without naming them SMART. But also that no space or resources are set aside to work on them. As if naming things will solve the problems by itself. The result is that people put things off and the plans eventually fall between two stools. Until history repeats and repeats itself.

PDCA also requires leadership

Obviously, managers must be aware of their role. The success of PDCA requires commitment and support from managers. This applies not only to time and resources but most certainly also in monitoring progress and results in improvement processes. Managers must therefore have a good overview of all planned activities within the organization. Digital tools and periodic consultation structures can help tremendously here, but it is ultimately people who make the difference.

To improve is to change

To avoid unwanted side effects when implementing improvements in organization and business processes, changes should be implemented in a controlled manner. A good management of change process is therefore always part of the PDCA improvement cycle. Here it is important that all stakeholders are informed in a timely and complete manner about the proposed change. Proper information leads to proper acceptance and implementation of the change.

Tips for PDCA implementation